2 days Ago By [email protected]
For Mark Cavendish the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium started with a walk of honour through the raised wheels of his fellow professional cyclists and then finished amid a huge roar from the crowd. The winner of a record 35 stages of the French Grand Tour got to throw his hands in the air to celebrate victory one last time on Sunday. Cavendish, who confirmed on the eve of the event that the showcase that brings a taste of the Tour de France to Southeast Asia would be his last time pinning on a number as a professional cyclist, got his fairytale ending and so did the spectators that came out to watch.
The breaks had flown from the start of the criterium delivering an exhibition of top talent, but it all came down to that much anticipated sprint battle in the heat and humidity of Singapore. As celebrations erupted for the retiring Astana Qazaqstan rider when he crossed the line, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Deceuninck), who had launched early, came over the line in second place while Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Soudal) was third. “I’m quite emotional actually," said Cavendish on the broadcast coverage.
"I realised in the last 5 laps that it was the last 15km of my career and when I passed the flamme rouge for the last time in my career I felt that but I was so on the limit – the heat here is not nice for me you know,” he added, eliciting a laugh from the crowd waiting for him to appear on the podium. More to come ..
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